A man who played a major role in defrauding a federal food program in Minnesota was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Wednesday, the latest punishment in a massive scheme to collect millions of dollars during the COVID-19 outbreak by claiming to have fed hungry children.
The extent of fraud in Minnesota — dozens of people have been convicted — has frequently grabbed the attention of President Donald Trump, who mocked the Democratic governor for failing to stop it and used it as justification for an exceptional immigration crackdown in the state’s major cities.
Salim Said owned and operated Safari Restaurant in Minneapolis, which specialized in Somali cuisine.
He was accused of drastically overstating the quantity of meals provided in order to obtain cash.
The government claimed he was responsible for $44 million in fraud, some of which was committed by people he hired.
“You used more than government money to profit yourself. “You brought our state’s reputation down with you,” US District Judge Nancy Brasel stated.
According to prosecutors, Said claimed a “ridiculous daily distribution of 6,000 meals” despite the fact that FBI cameras showed 40 people getting food each day.
“The defendant and his sites did not serve thousands of children; he served a calculated, lucrative lie,” prosecutors claimed.
Said, a Somali native, rejected the charges during his testimony during the trial in 2025, claiming that many meals were brought offsite.
But at his sentence on Wednesday, he reversed course and showed regret.
Defense attorney Barry Zone, who sought a 12-year prison sentence, denied that Said was the “architect” as the government claimed.
COVID-19 prompted modifications to a federal program that generally fed children in schools. Restaurants could take part, and food distribution was expanded beyond schools.
“For 21 consecutive months, Said made thousands of fraudulent reimbursement claims, day after day, month after month,” authorities stated. “Each submission represented meals purportedly provided to underprivileged children, yet the listed children themselves were entirely fictitious.”
According to the government, Said hit the jackpot when he purchased a $1.2 million home, commercial real estate, and a $87,000 pickup truck.
In 2025, Said and Aimee Bock, the CEO of a Minnesota NGO called Feeding Our Future, were convicted on a number of counts.
She is receiving a 42-year prison term for developing the overall strategy to recruit Said and others to participate in the federal food program during the pandemic.
A judge ordered her to pay back $242 million.
State auditors discovered that the Minnesota Department of Education received several complaints about Feeding Our Future, but frequently instructed the organization to police itself.
Gov. Tim Walz said in January that he would not run for reelection after Trump chastised him for alleged theft in federally funded programs.
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